Hot-swap fan terminal mount structure and fan using same

ABSTRACT

A hot-swap fan terminal mount structure for use with a fan includes at least one support seat, which has a fixing section, a supporting section and a receiving section. The fixing section is connected with the supporting section, and the receiving section is formed on the supporting section for receiving at least one terminal therein. With these arrangements, the hot-swap fan terminal mount structure can have reduced manufacturing cost and the terminal received in the receiving section is self-aligning. And, a fan using the hot-swap fan terminal mount structure is also disclosed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a hot-swap fan terminal mount structure; and more particularly to a hot-swap fan terminal mount structure that can be manufactured at reduced cost and allows a terminal mounted thereon to have a self-alignment function. The present invention also relates to a fan using the above-described hot-swap fan terminal mount structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Due to the progress in different technological fields, most of the currently available electronic products have largely increased functions. However, these functionally enhanced electronic products also produce more heat during operation thereof. The produced heat must be timely removed with proper means, so as to avoid lowered stability and performance or even burnout of the electronic products.

Presently, fans are the most common means for dissipating heat produced by electronic products. Generally, an electronic product is equipped with only one fan. However, for some advanced electronic systems that produce more heat during operation, they need more fans to thoroughly remove the produced heat and to increase the system stability. For example, when one of the fans is failed, the system can still maintain at stable working temperature by upgrading the heat dissipation efficiency of other remaining fans.

For this purpose, an advanced electronic system would usually use hot-swap fans. That is, any fan becoming failed during the operation of the system can be swapped for a new one through online manipulation without the need of shutting down the system. Therefore, the system can maintain continuous operation. For example, the hot-swap fans are particularly useful for a server of a computer system.

There are several hot-swap fan terminal structures currently available in the market. However, these hot-swap fan terminal structures are relatively complex in construction and include a large number of components to increase difficulty in assembling. In addition, with the existing hot-swap fan terminal structures, the conducting material thereof is exposed from a terminal mount and tends to become oxidized if the fan is not in use for a long time. The oxidized conducting material will inevitably cause problem in the electrical connection performance of the terminal.

In brief, the conventional fans and the terminal structures thereof have the following disadvantages: (1) requiring higher manufacturing cost; (2) not easy to assemble; (3) having narrow applications; and (4) tending to become damaged easily.

It is therefore tried by the inventor to work out a way for solving the problems and overcoming the disadvantages in the prior art fans and their terminal structures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a hot-swap fan terminal mount structure that allows a terminal mounted thereon to have a self-alignment function.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hot-swap fan terminal mount structure that has simple construction to enable reduced manufacturing cost and easy assembling for use.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a hot-swap fan terminal mount structure that is adaptable for a wide range of terminals.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a fan that includes a hot-swap fan terminal mount structure, which allows a terminal mounted thereon to have a self-alignment function.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a fan that includes a hot-swap fan terminal mount structure, which has simple construction to enable reduced manufacturing cost and easy assembling for use.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a fan that includes a hot-swap fan terminal mount structure adaptable for a wide range of terminals.

To achieve the above and other objects, the hot-swap fan terminal mount structure according to the present invention is used with a fan and includes at least one support seat. The support seat includes a fixing section, a supporting section and a receiving section. The fixing section is connected with the supporting section, and the receiving section is formed on the supporting section for receiving at least one terminal therein. At least one clearance is existed between the receiving section and the terminal received therein, allowing the terminal to freely slide in the receiving section. With the above-described hot-swap fan terminal mount structure, the receiving section of the support seat is adaptable for different types of terminals, the fixing section can be easily fixed to a fan, and the clearance existed between the receiving section and the terminal received therein allows the terminal to have a self-alignment function. In addition, the above-described hot-swap fan terminal mount structure has simple construction and is easy to assemble to enable reduced manufacturing cost thereof.

To achieve the above and other objects, the fan according to the present invention includes a fan frame, a fan wheel, and a hot-swap fan terminal mount structure. The fan frame has a wall portion defining a first space therein; and two axially opposite ends of the wall portion are radially outward extended to form a front plate portion and a rear plate portion corresponding to the front plate portion, so that at least one second space is defined between the front plate portion and the rear plate portion. The fan wheel is mounted in the first space, and includes a wheel hub and a plurality of blades. The hot-swap fan terminal mount structure includes at least one support seat mounted on the fan frame and located in the second space. The support seat includes a fixing section, a supporting section and a receiving section. The fixing section is connected with the supporting section; the supporting section has one side in contact with the wall portion of the fan frame, and the receiving section is formed on the supporting section for receiving at least one terminal therein. Further, at least one clearance is existed between the receiving section and the terminal received therein, allowing the terminal to freely slide in the receiving section.

With the fan having a hot-swap fan terminal mount structure according to the present invention, the receiving section of the support seat is adaptable for different types of terminals, the fixing section can be easily fixed to the front and rear plate portions of the fan, and at least one clearance existed between the receiving section and the terminal received therein allows the terminal to have a self-alignment function. In addition, the above-described hot-swap fan terminal mount structure has simple construction and is easy to assemble to enable reduced manufacturing cost of the fan using same.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein

FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of a hot-swap fan terminal mount structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 1B is an assembled view of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the hot-swap fan terminal mount structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 2B is an assembled view of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A is a top view of a third embodiment of the hot-swap fan terminal mount structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of the circled area of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A is a sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the hot-swap fan terminal mount structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of the circled area of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5A is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of a fan according to the present invention;

FIG. 5B is an assembled view of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6A is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the fan according to the present invention; and

FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of the circled area of FIG. 6A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described with some preferred embodiments thereof and with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of easy to understand, elements that are the same in the preferred embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals.

Please refer to FIGS. 1A and 1B that are exploded and assembled perspective views, respectively, of a first embodiment of a hot-swap fan terminal mount structure according to the present invention. As shown, the hot-swap fan terminal mount structure is used with a fan 2 and includes at least a support seat 1, which includes a fixing section 10, a supporting section 11 and a receiving section 12. The fixing section 10 is connected with the supporting section 11, and is provided with at least one fixing hole 101. The receiving section 12 is formed on the supporting section 11 for receiving at least one terminal 14 therein.

The support seat 1 has an n-shaped or U-shaped configuration and is integrally formed. The fixing section 10 is formed on two longitudinally opposite ends of the support seat 1, the supporting section 11 is formed on two transversely opposite sides of the support seat 1, and the fixing section 10 is perpendicularly connected to the supporting section 11.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are exploded and assembled perspective views, respectively, of a second embodiment of the hot-swap fan terminal mount structure according to the present invention. The second embodiment is generally structurally similar to the first embodiment, except that it includes two L-shaped support seats 1, each of which has a fixing section 10 and a supporting section 11. When the two L-shaped support seats 1 are positioned face to face with the supporting section 11 of each L-shaped support seat 1 being connected to the fixing section 10 of the other L-shaped support seat 1 by welding, riveting, gluing, inserting or locking, the second embodiment of the hot-swap fan terminal mount structure is completed. In the hot-swap fan terminal mount structure according to the second embodiment thereof, each fixing section 10 is formed on a longitudinal end of the L-shaped support seat 1, and each supporting section 11 is formed on a lateral side of the L-shaped support seat 1.

In the second embodiment, the terminal 14 is supported on between the two supporting sections 11 of the two connected L-shaped support seats 1 and the two fixing sections 10 are fixedly connected to the fan 2. In this manner, the same set of support seats 1 is adaptable for different types of terminals 14 and can therefore have widened applications. In addition, the completed hot-swap fan terminal mount structure is simple and can be manufactured at reduced cost and easily mounted to the fan 2.

FIG. 3A is a top view of a third embodiment of the hot-swap fan terminal mount structure according to the present invention, and FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of the circled area of FIG. 3A. Please refer to FIGS. 3A and 3B along with FIG. 1A. The third embodiment is generally structurally similar to the first embodiment, except that, in the third embodiment, there is at least one clearance 141 existed between the receiving section 12 and the terminal 14 received therein. With the clearance 141, the terminal 14 can freely shift lengthwise and sidewardly in the receiving section 12 to achieve the function of self-alignment.

FIG. 4A is a sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the hot-swap fan terminal mount structure according to the present invention, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of the circled area of FIG. 4A. Please refer to FIGS. 4A and 4B along with FIG. 1A. The fourth embodiment is generally structurally similar to the first embodiment, except that, in the fourth embodiment, the supporting section 11 has one side in contact with the fan 2 and is provided on the other side located across the receiving section 12 with a downward supporting leg 13, a lower end of which is in contact with a fan frame of the fan 2. With these arrangements in the fourth embodiment, there are two contact areas between the supporting section 11 and the fan 2 for the support seat 1 fixed to the fan 2 to provide increased supporting strength.

Please refer to FIGS. 5A and 5B that are exploded and assembled perspective views, respectively, of a first embodiment of a fan 2 according to the present invention. As shown, in the first embodiment thereof, the fan 2 includes a fan frame 20, a fan wheel 21, and a hot-swap fan terminal mount structure having at least one support seat 1. The fan frame 20 includes a wall portion 202 defining a first space 201 therein. Two axially opposite ends of the wall portion 202 are radially outward extended to form a front plate portion 2021 and a rear plate portion 2022 corresponding to the front plate portion 2021, so that at least one second space 2023 is defined between the front plate portion 2021 and the rear plate portion 2022. The fan wheel 21 is mounted in the first space 201, and includes a wheel hub 211 and a plurality of blades 212.

The at least one support seat 1 is mounted on the fan frame 20 and located in the second space 2023, and includes a fixing section 10, a supporting section 11 and a receiving section 12. The fixing section 10 is connected with the supporting section 11 and is provided with at least one fixing hole 101, the supporting section 11 has one side in contact with the wall portion 202, and the receiving section 12 is formed on the supporting section 11 for receiving at least one terminal 14 therein.

The fan frame 20 is further provided on a corner thereof with at least one through hole 2024 corresponding to the fixing hole 101. A fastening element 3 can be extended through the fixing hole 101 on the support seat 1 and the through hole 2024 on the fan frame 20 to thereby fixedly mount the support seat 1 in the second space 2023 of the fan frame 20. Since different types of terminals 14 can be supported by the supporting section 11 to receive in the receiving section 12 of the support seat 1, the support seat 1 has a wide range of applications. In addition, the hot-swap fan terminal mount structure is simple in construction and can be easily mounted to the fan frame 20, and can therefore enable reduced manufacturing cost of the fan 2.

FIG. 6A is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the fan 2 according to the present invention; and FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of the circled area of FIG. 6A. The second embodiment of the fan 2 is generally structurally similar to the first embodiment thereof, except that, in the second embodiment, the supporting section 11 of the support seat 1 has one side in contact with the wall portion 202 and is provided on an opposite side located across the receiving section 12 with a downward extended supporting leg 13, a lower end of which is also in contact with the wall portion 202 of the fan 2. Therefore, there are two contact areas between the supporting section 11 and the fan 2 for the support seat 1 fixed to the fan 2 to provide increased supporting strength.

In summary, the hot-swap fan terminal mount structure of the present invention has the following advantages: (1) reduced manufacturing cost; (2) easy to mount; (3) adaptable for a wide range of terminals; and (4) allowing the terminal mounted thereon to be self-aligning.

The present invention has been described with some preferred embodiments thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications in the described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A hot-swap fan terminal mount structure for use with a fan, comprising at least one support seat having a fixing section, a supporting section and a receiving section; the fixing section being connected with the supporting section, and the receiving section being formed on the supporting section for receiving at least one terminal therein.
 2. The hot-swap fan terminal mount structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support seat is integrally formed.
 3. The hot-swap fan terminal mount structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the support seat is n-shaped or U-shaped.
 4. The hot-swap fan terminal mount structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein the fixing section is formed on two longitudinally opposite ends of the support seat, and the supporting section is formed on two transversely opposite sides of the support seat.
 5. The hot-swap fan terminal mount structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the fixing section is perpendicularly connected with the supporting section.
 6. The hot-swap fan terminal mount structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein there are two support seats, and the two support seats are L-shaped.
 7. The hot-swap fan terminal mount structure as claimed in claim 6, wherein the supporting section of each of the two support seats is connected to the fixing section of the other support seat to thereby connect the two L-shaped support seats to each other face to face.
 8. The hot-swap fan terminal mount structure as claimed in claim 7, wherein the supporting sections and the fixing sections of the two support seats are connected to one another by a manner selected from the group consisting of welding, riveting, gluing, inserting, and locking.
 9. The hot-swap fan terminal mount structure as claimed in claim 8, wherein the fixing section is formed on a longitudinal end of each L-shaped support seat, and the supporting section is formed on a lateral side of each L-shaped support seat.
 10. The hot-swap fan terminal mount structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one clearance is existed between the receiving section and the terminal received therein, allowing the terminal to freely slide in the receiving section.
 11. The hot-swap fan terminal mount structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting section has one side in contact with the fan and is provided on another side located across the receiving section with a downward extended supporting leg, and the supporting leg having a lower end in contact with the fan.
 12. The hot-swap fan terminal mount structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixing section is provided with at least one fixing hole.
 13. A fan, comprising: a fan frame including a wall portion defining a first space therein, and two axially opposite ends of the wall portion being radially outward extended to form a front plate portion and a rear plate portion corresponding to the front plate portion, so that at least one second space is defined between the front plate portion and the rear plate portion; a fan wheel being mounted in the first space, and including a wheel hub and a plurality of blades; and a hot-swap fan terminal mount structure having at least one support seat mounted on the fan frame and located in the second space; the support seat including a fixing section, a supporting section and a receiving section; the fixing section being connected with the supporting section; the supporting section having one side in contact with the wall portion, and the receiving section being formed on the supporting section for receiving at least one terminal therein.
 14. The fan as claimed in claim 13, wherein the supporting section is provided on another side located across the receiving section with a downward extended supporting leg, and the supporting leg having a lower end in contact with the wall portion of the fan.
 15. The fan as claimed in claim 13, wherein the fixing section of the support seat is provided with at least one fixing hole.
 16. The fan as claimed in claim 15, wherein the fan frame is provided on any one corner thereof with at least one through hole corresponding to the at least one fixing hole on the fixing section of the support seat.
 17. The fan as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a fastening element extended through the through hole and the fixing hole to mount the support seat to the fan frame. 